AI Safety Lead

Carnegie Mellon University; Virginia; On-site; USD 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Carnegie Mellon University’s Software Engineering Institute in Arlington, VA (and Pittsburgh, PA) seeks an AI Safety Lead to guide AI safety projects in software development, ensuring safe operation and alignment with customer needs. You will collaborate with researchers, engineers, and sponsors to deliver technically excellent solutions on time.

You will lead planning, coordinate across SEI and CMU support functions, present risk assessments to stakeholders, and shape future directions in AI

Qualifications

• BS in Computer Science or Electrical Engineering or related field with 10 years of experience.
• MS in the same fields with 8 years of experience.
• PhD in the same fields with 5 years of experience.

Responsibilities

• Develop AI Safety technical solution strategies.
• Lead the planning and execution of AI Safety projects ensuring plans are sound and aligned with state of the art and customer expectations.
• Coordinate across SEI and CMU support functions to ensure project teams have what they need to execute.
• Serve as a primary technical liaison to customers conducting regular project reviews to ensure the project meets their needs and adjust accordingly.
• Contribute to strategic planning using customer feedback and project performance data to develop future technical directions.
• Represent the RFHAS technical portfolio in AI and AI Safety with customers and internal collaborators.

Skills

Technical leadership

Solutions engineering

Quality assurance

Executive communication

Team collaboration

Culture building

Education

BS in CS/EE or related

MS in CS/EE or related

PhD in CS/EE or related

Job description

Who We Are

The SEI conducts research and development and advance software engineering practices. The SEI serves as a national resource in software engineering and computer security. The SEI works closely with academia, defense and government organizations, and industry to continually improve software-intensive systems. Our core purpose is to help organizations improve software engineering capabilities and develop or acquire the right software that is defect free, within budget and on time, every time.

What We Do

The Rapid Fielding of High Assurance (RFHAS) directorate conducts research and development activities to accelerate the fielding of software-reliant systems with high-assurance. This involves accelerating and automating the development cycle to support continuous development while at the same time connected with assurance techniques that incorporate formal models in a practical and scalable way. These techniques include Model-Based Systems Engineering and the automating power of AI for Software Engineering (SE) but also SE to exploit the power of AI with high confidence.

Position Summary

As an AI Safety Lead you will work closely with our researchers and engineers to lead, plan, and execute customer projects that address the challenges of exploiting AI in software development and also incorporating AI into software systems while ensuring its safe operation. You will ensure that the project performance meet expectations, the deliverables are on time, and the project meet the customer needs. You will partner across SEI technical and support staff to create a culture of technical excellence, creativity and innovation. You will also contribute to shape the approaches to field AI systems at the speed and trust of relevance.

Who you are:

• Technical Leadership: You have experience managing complex technical projects from initiation through delivery, including planning and scheduling, resource coordination, risk tracking, milestone management, and assessments. You can organize cross-functional teams and keep execution on track across multiple concurrent efforts.
• Solutions Engineer: You partner with our technical team to create and maintain strong working relationships with our customers, conducting regular check-ins to assess satisfaction, gather feedback, and ensure alignment between delivered work and customer priorities. You translate customer needs into actionable technical requirements for project teams.
• Quality-Driven: You ensure deliverables meet both mission partner expectations and SEI standards. You conduct regular project reviews, identify quality gaps, develop corrective actions, and verify that SEI standards for safety, security, and compliance are satisfied.
• Outcome-Focused: You are a driven by a sense of duty to deliver outcomes that advance the state-of-the-art and practice for analyzing, assuring, and countering software systems to enhance National Security.
• Communicator and Collaborator: You have outstanding written and oral communication skills. You can synthesize complex technical information into clear status updates, risk assessments, and executive briefings for both internal leadership and external mission partners.
• Culture: Help develop a team culture that fosters innovation, technical excellence, and leadership.

What you’ll do:

• Develop AI Safety Technical solution strategies.
• Lead the planning and execution of AI Safety projects ensuring that the plans are sound and aligned with the state of the art and customer expectations.
• Coordinate across SEI and CMU support functions to ensure project teams have what they need to execute.
• Serve as a primary technical liaison to customers conducting regular project reviews to ensure the project meets their needs and adjust accordingly.
• Contribute to strategic planning using customer feedback and project performance data to develop future technical directions.
• Represent the RFHAS technical portfolio in AI and AI Safety with customers and internal collaborators.

Requirements:

• BSinComputerScience, ElectricalEngineering, or related disciplewith ten (10) yearsof exp…
• OR MS in the same fields with eight (8) years of exp…
• OR a PhD in the same fields with five (5) years of experience.
• Willingness to travel outside of your office location to other SEI offices, sponsor sites, conferences, and offsite meetings.
• You will be subject to a background investigation and must be able to obtain and maintain a Department of War security clearance.

Location Arlington, VA, Pittsburgh, PA

Job Function Software/Applications Development/Engineering Position Type Staff – Regular Full time/Part time Full time Pay Basis Salary

More Information:

Please visit “Why Carnegie Mellon” to learn more about becoming part of an institution inspiring innovations that change the world.

Carnegie Mellon University is an Equal Opportunity Employer/Disability/Veteran.

Statement of Assurance

Always focused on the future, the Software Engineering Institute (SEI) advances software as a strategic advantage for national security. We lead research and direct transition of software engineering, cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence technologies at the intersection of academia, industry, and government. We serve the nation as a federally funded research and development center (FFRDC) sponsored by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and are based at Carnegie Mellon University, a global research university annually rated among the best for its programs in computer science and engineering. Our people apply special knowledge and skills and are part of an elite research university. We perform research and apply our expertise every day to foresee problems and exploit opportunities in software engineering, AI engineering, and cybersecurity. Quality software that is secure will control the future. At CMU SEI, we are engineering that ever-greater software-fueled future.

Need Help?

For technical assistance, email [e-mail] or call 412-268-5072.

We are committed to providing an accessible experience throughout our recruitment process. If you need assistance or a reasonable accommodation at any stage of the application, interview, or hiring process, please contact Equal Opportunity Services by email at [e-mail] or by phone at 412-268-3930.